Apparatus for grading pieces of meat

ABSTRACT

Apparatus is provided for grading or sorting relatively fat and relatively lean hams or other pieces of meat. The hams are placed in a trough through which flows brine of a predetermined density, in which the fatter hams tend to float or seek an upper level in the brine and the leaner ones tend to sink or seek a lower level. Those hams near the surface of the brine in the trough are sold with minimum or no trimming while those near the bottom are deboned and the fat is removed, with these hams being sold at a premium price. In the particular apparatus, the hams move along the trough containing the brine which is supplied at one end, recirculated when reaching the other end. A plurality of rotatable fingers are mounted at an intermediate portion of the trough to engage and remove hams at an upper level in the brine. Rotatable fingers are also located at the other end of the trough to engage and remove hams at the lower level in the brine.

United States Patent Wallace Nov. 20, 1973 APPARATUS FOR GRADING PIECESOF Primary ExaminerFrank W. Lutter MEAT Assistant Examiner-Ralph J. Hill[76] Inventor: Charles H. Wallace, Smithfield, Va. Att0mey Auen Gutchess23430 22 Filed: Jan. 29, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT 21 APPL 10 92 Apparatus isprovided for grading or sorting relatively Related US. Application Data[63] Continuation-impart of Ser. No. 886,826, Dec. 22,

1969, Pat. No. 3,653,918.

[52] US. Cl. 209/173 [51] Int. Cl. B031) 3/38 [58] Field of Search146/222; 209/ 172-173 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS1,285,560 11/1918 Chase 209/173 1,209,900 12/1916 Stebler et al...209/173 2,051,676 8/1936 Bloedorn 209/173 2,234,502 3/1941 Pixton209/173 2,603,352 7/1952 Tromp 209/l72.5

2,764,289 9/1956 Scheid 209/ 173 fat and relatively lean hams or otherpieces of meat. The hams are placed in a trough through which flowsbrine of a predetermined density, in which the fatter hams tend to floator seek an upper level in the brine and the leaner ones tend to sink orseek a lower level. Those hams near the surface of the brine in thetrough are sold with minimum or no trimming while those near the bottomare de-boned and the fat is removed, with these hams being sold at apremium price. In the particular apparatus, the hams move along thetrough containing the brine which is supplied at one end, recirculatedwhen reaching the other end. A plurality of rotatable fingers aremounted at an intermediate portion of the trough to engage and removehams at an upper level in the brine. Rotatable fingers are also locatedat the other end of the trough to engage and remove hams at the lowerlevel in the brine.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEU NOV 20 I973 21m 1 EF INVENTOR. 0/444 5 H M11465 47 ram/5y APPARATUS FOR GRADING PIECES OF MEAT Thisapplication is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser.No. 886,826, filed on Dec. 22, 1969, now US. Pat. No. 3,653,918.

This invention relates to apparatus for grading or sorting hams or otherpieces of meat, the extent of the fat on and in which may vary from oneto another.

Hams are commonly sold by packing houses either substantially as theyare cut from the animal carcass, or after they are de-boned and the fatremoved, the latter commanding a premium price, of course. The hams alsoundergo the usual brine pumping and smokehouse steps in the slaughteringprocess. Economically, it is advantageous for the hams having the mostfat to be sold with minimum processing and trimming, with the leanerhams being the ones which are de-boned and from which the fat isremoved. Obviously, less waste occurs when the leaner hams are used inthe latter process. However, even the most experienced meat processorscannot reliably sort or grade relatively fat and relatively lean hams bya visual inspection.

In accordance with the invention, the hams are placed in brine or a saltsolution of a predetermined strength or density, selected so that thefatter hams will tend to float or seek an upper level therein and theleaner hams will tend to sink or seek a lower level. The former hams arethen removed and packaged for sale with minimum trimming while the fatis removed from the latter hams and they are usually de-boned prior tofurther processing and packaging. After the grading step, all of thehams undergo the usual further processing steps, including being pumpedwith brine and being subjected to a cooking or curing Smokehousetreatment.

The apparatus for grading the hams includes a container or trough to oneend of which brine is supplied, being recirculated. The flow of brinethrough the trough carries the hams therealong, with the brine therebyacting as both a grading and conveying me-.

dium. A plurality of rotatable fingers are mounted on a shaft above anintermediate portion of the trough with the fingers rotating in a pathsuch that they will engage and pick up hams tending to float or being atan upper level in the brine. The hams tending to sink or being at alower level therein move beyond these rotatable fingers toward the otherend of the trough. A second set of rotatable fingers are mounted on ashaft above the other end of the trough and rotate in a path at a lowerlevel to engage and remove the leaner hams which are lower in the brine.Discharge chutes are located adjacent the first and the second set ofrotatable fingers to receive the hams from the fingers and dischargethem to appropriate locations for further processing. The floating hams,containing more fat, are processed with minimal or no trimming. Thesunken hams, containing the least fat, are de-boned and the fat isremoved prior to further processing and packaging. It is, therefore, aprincipal object of the invention to provide improved apparatus forgrading hams or other pieces of meat to separate and sort the relativefat and the relative lean ones before further processing.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved apparatus forgrading meat comprising a single trough having meat-engaging means at anintermediate portion thereof for removing pieces of meat from an upperlevel of brine in the trough and means at the other end of the troughfor engaging and removing the lower pieces of meat.

Many other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following detailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof,reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view in elevation of apparatus for grading or sortinghams or other meat according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the apparatus of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a right end view of the apparatus of FIGS. 1 and 2.

Referring to the drawings, a preferred form of apparatus for carryingout the invention is indicated at 10 in FIGS. 13. The apparatus includesa stainless steel tank 12 having legs 14 with casters 16 which enablethe tank to be moved from one location to another as desired, whereverneeded for hams being processed. Feet 18 mounted on threaded rods 20 canbe turned downwardly to hold the apparatus 10 in position when in use.The feet and rods are mounted in flanges 22 extending outwardly from thelegs 14.

The tank 12 includes a main trough or elongate receptacle 24 extendingthe length of the apparatus 10. The trough is formed by end walls 26 and28, a side wall 30, a partition 32, and a bottom 34. The partition 32terminates short of the front end wall 26 at an edge 36 and terminatesshort of the end wall 28 at an edge 38. The partition thus forms areturn trough 40 with a side wall 42 of the tank and the bottom 34.

A propeller or pump 44 is located in the return trough 40 to recirculatethe brine from the downstream end of the main trough 24 back through thereturn trough 40 to the upstream end of the main trough 24. Thepropeller, as shown, is mounted on an elongate shaft 46 (FIG. 2) whichis rotatably supported in a bearing block 48 and extending through asuitable seal 50 in the end wall 28 of the tank 12. A variable-speeddrive motor 52 is mounted on the end wall 28 and drives the propeller 44at any selected speed. The propeller 44 is of a three-blade type and hasa heavy plastic coating thereon to reduce possible damage from corrosionand cavitation.

The salt solution or brine in the tank 12 has a level only about twoinches from the top thereof. The brine is of a predetermined strength,having a salimeter reading from about 12 to about 30, and preferablyfrom about 15 to about 25, as measured at 38 F. The leaner hams placedin the brine will tend to sink to a lower level therein, while thefatter hams will tend to float or be at an upper level. Of course, manyhams will neither clearly float nor sink, so as to be at either the topor the bottom of the brine, but will be distributed throughout its depthas they are moved along through the trough 24. The relative number ofany group of hams which will sink or float will depend upon the strengthof the brine, with more hams tending to float in brine with a highersalimeter reading. Liquids other than brine can be employed in theapparatus 10 although the brine is preferred since it is inexpensive andaids in preserving the hams.

The leaner hams are separated for de-boning and fat removal while thefatter hams are packaged with a minimum of trimming. By enabling moreefiicient processing of the hams to be achieved in this manner, asavings of several cents a pound can be achieved, which can amount to asubstantial savings daily in large processing plants. Other than for thegrading process, the hams are subjected to the usual cooking, curing,and smoking processes.

The hams are supplied to the charge end or upstream end of the maintrough 24 from a charge or supply chute 54 and are carried along themain trough 24 by the fiow of brine. Hams 56 at an upper level in thebrine are engaged by a rotatable engaging means indicated at 58. Thisincludes a plurality of specially-shaped tines or fingers 60 and 62located diametrically-opposite one another. Each of these includes aradially extending straight portion 64, an offset portion 66, a cradlepor tion 68, and a curved end portion 70. The latter terminates in ablunt end 72 which can be formed by a stain less steel ball welded thereto prevent penetration of the hams by the fingers.

The fingers 61) and 62 are mounted on a central drive and supportingshaft 74 and are spaced apart in predetermined fixed relationship, therebeing four of the fingers 61) and 62 across the width of the receptacle24. The shaft 74 is rotatably mounted in adjustable bearing blocks 76(P16. 1 which have grooved edges received on gibs or guides 78 formed inside stands 80 which extend upwardly from the tank 12. The shaft 74 andthe bearing blocks '76 are vertically adjustable by means of threadedrods 82 rotatably held by the blocks 76 and extending through asupporting bar 84 at the upper end of the stand 80. The rod 82 has a nut86 above the bar 84 which can be turned upwardly and downwardly relativeto the threaded rod 82 to correspondingly move the blocks 76, the shaft74, and the fingers 611 and 62. With this adjustment, the distance thefingers 611 and 62 extend into the brine can be varied, so that thedegree of fat on the hams picked up by the fingers 60 and 62 can becontrolled. With the fingers high in the brine, only the fatter hams areremoved therefrom whereas, as the fingers are moved lower, leaner hamswill also be engaged and removed by the fingers.

As shaft '74 can be rotated in a clockwise direction as shown in PEG. 1by any suitable means. As shown, a slip sprocket 88 is mounted on theshaft 74 and can slip relative thereto in case of a jam. The sprocket 88is driven through a chain 90 which extends around an idler sprocket 92mounted on a weighted arm 94 pivoted at 96 to a suitable supportingframe 98. The arm and idler sprocket keep constant tension on the chain.90 when the shaft 74 is adjusted upwardly or downwardly. The chain 911also extends around a fixed idler sprocket 100 and a drive sprocket 102.The drive sprocket 102 is mounted on a drive shaft 104 which extendsinto a speed reducer 106. The latter, in turn, is driven by a suitablemotor 108 supported on the frame 98. A pair of side walls 1111 and 1 12are located at the sides of the fingers 60 and 62 to help retain thehams on the fingers and to minimize splashing of the brine. A pluralityof discharge rods 114 direct the hams from the fingers 60 and 62downwardly to a first discharge chute 1116 extending transversely of thetrough 2.4 and directing the fatter hams picked up by the fingers 611and 62 to one side of the tank. The hams gently roll down the slopingoffset portions 66 of the fingers 60 and 62 and down the rods 114 atabout the time the fingers are slightly beyond the vertical position,generally as shown in FIG. 1.

With the two sets of the fingers 611 and 62, it is possible for afloating or fatter ham to escape the fingers as they rotate. To overcomethis possibility, a supporting bar 1 18 extends across the main trough24 between the side wall 31) and the partition 32. Three horizontalsupporting rods extend toward the charge or upstream end of the trough24 from the bar 118 and are positioned to be between the four fingers 60or 62 as they rotate. Vertical stop rods 122 are adjustably mounted onthe ends of the supporting rods 120 and extend a desired distance intothe brine. A floating ham then missed by the fingers will engage thevertical stop rods 122 and be held temporarily thereby until the nextset of fingers 60 or 62 rotates downwardly once again into the brine andengages this ham.

The leaner hams are carried along the main trough 24 by the fiow ofbrine at a sufficiently low level to pass below the fingers 611 and 62and below the stop rods 122. These hams are engaged by rotatableengaging means indicated at 124 at the downstream end of the trough 24.The rotatable means includes a plurality of tines or fingers 126 or 128located diametrically opposite one another and shaped similarly to thefingers 6t and 62. Each of the tines includes a radially extendingstraight portion 130, an offset portion 132, a cradle portion 134, and acurved end portion 136. The latter terminates in a blunt end 138 whichcan be formed by a steel ball welded thereto to prevent the fingers frompenetrating the hams.

The groups of fingers 126 and 128 are mounted on a central drive andsupporting shaft 140 and are spaced apart in predetermined, fixedrelationship on the shaft, there being four of each of the fingers 126and 128 across the width of the main trough 24. The shaft 140 isrotatably mounted in fixed bearing blocks 142 supported above the upperedges of the tank side 30 and the partition 32.

The shaft 140 can be rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in FIG.1, by any suitable means. As shown, the drive includes a slip sprocket144 which is effective to drive the shaft 140 yet slip in case a hambecomes jammed. The sprocket 144 in turn is driven through a chain 146which extends around a drive sprocket 148 mounted on a shaft 150suspended below the tank by supports 152. The shaft 150 is driven by asprocket 154 engaged by a chain 156 and driven by a sprocket 158 mountedon the shaft 164.. The shaft 104 extends into the speed reducer 1116 andis driven by the motor 108.

A pair of side walls 160 and 162 are located adjacent the outer ones ofthe fingers 126 and 128 to aid in retaining the hams on the fingers andto minimize splashing of the brine. A plurality of discharge rods 164direct the hams from the fingers downwardly to a discharge chute 166,the rods 164 being located between the fingers 126 and 128 and alsobeyond the outermost ones of the fingers 126 and 128. The hams picked upby the fingers 126 and 128 are carried by the cradle portions 134 andthen gently roll down the offset portions 132 and down the rods 164 andthe chute 166.

A plurality of rods 168 are mounted on the upper edge of the and tankwall 28 and extend forwardly and downwardly at an angle of about 45.These rods are also positioned to be between the fingers 126 and 128during rotation and hold lean hams 171] which are not picked up by thefingers prior to reaching the rods. A pair of upper supporting rods 1'72extend upwardly outside of the side walls 161) and 162 and aid inpositioning the rods 164, the chute 166, and the rods 168 in properposition on th upper edge of the end wall 28.

Baffles 174 are located at the outer corners of the main trough 24 andthe return trough 40 to aid in directing the flow of brine andmaintaining the velocity of it. The velocity is determined by the speedof the propeller 44 driven by the variable speed motor 52 and thevelocity determines the output of the apparatus.

It will be seen from the above that the grading apparatus is a compactand efficient unit. It is also readily adaptable to be moved from onelocation to another as the need arises,

Various modifications of the above described embodiment of the inventionwill be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is to be understoodthat such modifications can be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention, if they are within the spirit and the tenor of theaccompanying claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for separating relatively fat and relatively lean pieces ofmeat comprising an elongate receptacle, means for supplying liquid ofparticular density to one end portion of said receptacle, means forwithdrawing the liquid from the other end portion of said receptacle andrecirculating it back to the first end portion, whereby pieces of meatsupplied to said receptacle near said liquid supply means tend to movealong with the liquid toward the other end portion, firstrotatable-engaging means for picking up and removing relatively fatpieces of meat located at an upper level in the liquid, said firstrotatable-engaging means comprising a shaft, a plurality of fingersmounted in spaced, fixed relationship on said shaft and having firstportions extending outwardly therefrom, said fingers also having second,generally circumferentially-extending portions at the ends of said firstportions and extending toward said one end portion of said receptaclewhen immersed in the liquid, said second portions being of sufficientlength to pick up and remove from the liquid the relatively fat piecesof meat engaged thereby, second rotatable-engaging means near said otherend portion of said receptacle for picking up and removing relativelylean pieces of meat located at a lower level in the liquid, a pluralityof rods located adjacent said first rotatable means and staggered withrespect to said fingers, said rods being slanted to receive the piecesof meat picked up by the fingers and to direct the pieces away from saidfirst rotatable means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterized by means for moving saidshaft in a vertical direction relative to the level of the liquid.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized by said means for movingsaid shaft in a vertical direction comprises means for rotatablysupporting said shaft at end portions thereof, guide means for receivingand guiding said rotatable supporting means in a vertical direction, andmeans for moving said rotatablesupporting means in a vertical direction.

1. Apparatus for separating relatively fat and relatively lean pieces ofmeat comprising an elongate receptacle, means for supplying liquid ofparticular density to one end portion of said receptacle, means forwithdrawing the liquid from the other end portion of said receptacle andrecirculating it back to the first end portion, whereby pieces of meatsupplied to said receptacle near said liquid supply means tend to movealong with the liquid toward the other end portion, firstrotatable-engaging means for picking up and removing relatively fatpieces of meat located at an upper level in the liquid, said firstrotatable-engaging means comprising a shaft, a plurality of fingersmounted in spaced, fixed relationship on said shaft and having firstportions extending outwardly therefrom, said fingers also having second,generally circumferentially-extending portions at the ends of said firstportions and extending toward said one end portion of said receptaclewhen immersed in the liquid, said second portions being of sufficientlength to pick up and remove from the liquid the relatively fat piecesof meat engaged thereby, second rotatable-engaging means near said otherend portion of said receptacle for picking up and removing relativelylean pieces of meat located at a lower level in the liquid, a pluralityof rods located adjacent said first rotatable means and staggered withrespect to said fingers, said rods being slanted to receive the piecesof meat picked up by the fingers and to direct the pieces away from saidfirst rotatable means.
 2. Apparatus according to claim 1 characterizedby means for moving said shaft in a vertical direction relative to thelevel of the liquid.
 3. Apparatus according to claim 2 characterized bysaid means for moving said shaft in a vertical direction comprises meansfor rotatably supporting said shaft at end portions thereof, guide meansfor receiving and guiding said rotatable supporting means in a verticaldirection, and means for moving said rotatable-supporting means in avertical direction.